To limit the impact of climate change, society is moving towards an energy model based on renewable energies. As a pure player in electrification, we are at the heart of this transition, and we have already incorporated the principles of sustainable development into our strategy. Our solutions contribute to creating more virtuous solutions that better reflect environmental realities.
Developed in 2021, our new performance model – E3 – shows that rationalization and environmental optimization strategies are powerful profit generators. The results are conclusive, and our achievements illustrate our success in terms of engagement, environmental performance and business performance.
Given our area of business, we have always been committed to a more sustainable future. We are therefore aware of the role we have to play in the energy transition. For this reason, we are working to accelerate the deployment of renewable energies, which are essential to meeting net zero targets.
We are involved in projects to build, expand and modernize wind and solar farms, renovate power grids and interconnectors, and develop electrification projects in emerging countries, as well as to implement low-carbon solutions for networks and applications, urban mobility and digitalization.
We set our carbon goals for 2030 using the GHG protocol calculation method. In this way, we are in line with the Paris Agreement to limit global warming to + 1.5°C compared with pre-industrial levels.
We are committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, and have confirmed this commitment with the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), which has validated our target of a 46% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions and a 30% reduction in Scope 3 by 2030 (base year: 2019). Our carbon footprint is primarily linked to scope 3 emissions, notably the use of sold products, which accounts for over 94% of emissions in this scope.
We are working across the entire supply chain to combat climate change.
or scopes 1 and 2 alone, compared with a target of -4.2% per year, i.e. a reduction of -12.6% in 2022*
for scope 3 compared with a target of -2.2% per year, i.e. -6.6% in 2022*
*Reduction in carbon emissions calculated in December 2022 using SBTi methodology (base year 2019).
Over the past 25 years, the global consumption of copper has more than doubled, reaching 30 million tons in 2020 and potentially 40 million tons by 2030. Global copper production cannot meet these new requirements in full, so shortages and tensions are likely to arise.
The solution is therefore to develop recycling and the circular economy. This is one of the ambitions of our CSR policy. We have made the circular economy part of our business practices, particularly in relation to processes, the supply chain and products such as copper, plastic, water, packaging and drums.
We have a stake in RecyCâbles, Europe’s leading recycler of cable waste. In some plants, we have set up an industrial process enabling us to collect production waste for reuse and recycling.
We incorporate as much recycled copper as possible into our cables, in particular through our vertical integration in copper metallurgy waste. We are also committed to sending our scrap metal to suppliers for recycling and reuse. Through these measures, we are able to reduce our carbon footprint, while also protecting natural resources.
Aluminum is the other natural resource used to manufacture our cables. In 2022, we began working with aluminum supplier Trimet on a project relating to the circular economy. Trimet melts and recycles this waste to obtain a recycled alloy meeting high quality standards. This innovative process uses far less energy than the production of primary aluminum. We buy this recycled aluminum to manufacture our energy cables.
In 2024, we launched CABLELOOP, a unique cable recycling and recovery service in Europe:
tons of cable waste recycled in 2022
tons of copper scrap used in casting operations in Montreal (Canada) and Lens (France) in 2022, meeting around 4% of our needs
tons of polymers recycled per year
We need to build on fundamental values such as partnership, value sharing and environmental gains to encourage the development of sustainable services. Nexans is taking action on several levels to create new virtuous technical and business models. Through this approach, we are reducing the footprint of our raw materials, and ultimately our products. We are also taking collective action to accelerate the pace of sustainable transformation across the entire industry. Collaboration is a solution to meet the challenges of the energy transition.
Marketing Manager for a Sustainable Product Offering, Nexans
